The Way Home
by dinkypin
Summary: Emma and Regina run into trouble while looking for a way back to FTL, and it might be Henry who pays the price. A one-shot I wrote a while ago on Tumblr


Two weeks had passed since Emma and Snow had returned, and an uneasy peace had settled over the town. Henry was staying with Emma, Snow and Charming at the apartment, getting to know his family, but he met Regina for lunch every day at Granny's. Their interactions were much less strained now, as the truce between herself and Emma held and her sessions with Dr Hopper helped her temper the urge to urge magic. Just yesterday, Henry had rushed over to hug her and said "Hi Mom!" before sitting down and telling her all about school, learning to ride a horse, and the hilarious sight of Emma attempting to learn sword-work and archery from her parents. Regina was grateful for his non-stop chatter, as she wasn't entirely sure she'd be able to speak past the lump in her throat.

She sat at her usual table, using the few minutes before Henry arrived to collect herself. Ruby dropped off her customary tea without being asked and shot her a tentative smile. Seeing her work to rebuild her relationship with her son seemed to have softened many people's opinion of her, and somehow (she strongly suspected the Charmings), the story of her Daniel had gotten around. She had never been one to make excuses, and certainly forgiveness was still a work in progress, but it seemed that the people of Storybrooke could at least manage understanding. The residents who remembered Cora seemed particularly sympathetic. Regina hated being that exposed, having people look at her as though they could see into her, but for Henry's sake she was willing to tolerate it.

The bell over the door chimed merrily and Henry dashed in, however he wasn't alone. Regina felt her face fall and fought valiantly to keep a sneer from forming as Emma followed him and slid into the booth opposite her.

"Miss Swan," Regina said, trying to maintain a civil tone, "what are you doing here?"

"I won't be long, Regina, I know this is your time with Henry." Regina felt herself relax marginally at that.

"I have a proposal for you." Emma didn't sound particularly enthused about it, but Henry was positively beaming. Regina recognised it as the look he wore whenever he'd managed to talk her into letting him do something he shouldn't.

"Henry wants to live with you again." Regina couldn't help it. She smiled widely, and felt the beginnings of tears prick at her eyes. With ruthless self control, she pushed them away and said in a steady voice "Henry, I'd love that."

Henry's grin widened. "She's not finished, Mom!"

Emma grimaced slightly. "Henry has…pointed out to me that Mary…I mean, my parents…" she still looked slightly weirded out by saying that, giving Regina a spiteful little shiver of glee that she tried to ignore, "they just found each other again and having me and the kid there is kind of getting in the way." Emma blushed slightly and Regina suddenly wondered what she had walked in on.

Henry, who was now fidgeting impatiently, interrupted.

"Can Emma come live with us, Mom?"

Regina froze. Her eyes met Emma's who was wearing a slightly pained expression as if to say 'hey, it wasn't my idea'.

"Henry, I…" She had absolutely no idea how to respond.

"Hear me out, Mom," Henry said, still wearing the expression of mischief that made him look painfully like Emma. Regina remembered seeing the same expression on Snow as a child, too, and felt a little light-headed.

"I want to come home," he continued, sending Regina's heart soaring again, "but Emma's my mom too. I want her to be with us. Please, Mom?"

"Regina," Emma said, seeing the expression on Regina's face, "you don't have to say yes. I can go back to the B&B, it's no big deal." She stood and and turned to leave.

"Miss Swan," Regina said sharply, surprising herself, "I'm not…just let me think about it, okay Henry?" The boy nodded, perhaps sensing that pushing the issue was a mistake and Regina turned back to Emma. "Let me think about it for a couple of days, Miss Swan. I'll give you my answer by the end of the week."

Emma glanced at Henry and leaned down to speak quietly. As if on cue, Ruby brought over a club sandwich for Henry, which he happily tucked into.

"Regina, you don't have to do this. Henry will come back either way. We've discussed it and your place has been his home since he was a baby. I'm happy to just visit."

Regina took a deep breath, thought of her most recent session with Dr Hopper and gathered her courage.

"I'm beginning to realise, Miss Swan, that your family is a part of my life, for better or worse. Henry is right. We are both his mothers, and he deserves to have both of us, full time. I'll give you my answer by the end of the week."

Emma looked hard at her for a second, then nodded briskly.

"I have to get to the station. Have a good lunch."

The news that Henry and Emma had moved into the mayoral mansion raised quite a few eyebrows, and soon Snow and Charming were regularly fielding questions about their daughter's relationship with Regina. They set people straight, so to speak, and made sure none of the rumours made it back to either woman. Henry still ate lunch alone with Regina, but breakfast was Emma's time and dinner was a family meal. The first few weeks were awkward and stilted, as the two adults tried to navigate being co-parents without giving in to the lingering animosity between them. They'd been successful - mostly - but there had been a few screaming matches out of Henry's earshot, and more than once Emma had stormed out to spend the night at her parents' place. After a couple of those Regina had suggested, to Emma's shock, that they visit Dr Hopper together.

The turning point came one evening when Henry had been practising sword-fighting instead of doing his math homework. Regina had scolded him and Henry had appealed to Emma.

"C'mon, Regina, it's a Friday. He has all weekend."

"Yeah, c'mon Mom!"

"Homework is done before anything else, Miss Swan, you know that. He has 'all weekend' for swords. Which, I might add, he should know better than to play with in the house."

"Regina, don't yell at him!"

"Don't tell me how to talk to my son!"

They both froze. Emma bit her lip, hard, to avoid retorting with something vicious.

"Our son," Regina corrected, face still flushed with anger. "Our son, Emma. I can't always be the disciplinarian, and you can't just be the mother who lets him off homework and takes him to the movies." Regina suddenly looked tired. She brushed past Emma and left the room, shoulders uncharacteristically slumped.

Henry and Emma stood in shock for a second.

"What's wrong with Mom?" Henry asked.

"I dunno, kid," Emma replied, "Let me go talk to her. And do your homework!"

Regina was in the kitchen, nursing a glass of wine. Emma approached cautiously.

"Regina?"

Regina tensed visibly, but didn't respond.

"Regina, talk to me, please. Look, I'm sorry I've made you feel like the bad guy."

Regina let out a hollow laugh. "I am the bad guy. I took you away from your parents, I took your son away from you, hell, I stole the whole world from the people of this town. Their whole world, Emma. I'm the bad guy."

"You didn't take Henry. I gave him up, and you've given him a much better life than I ever could have hoped to! And my parents chose to give me up, too. Personally, I think sticking me in that wardrobe was an incredibly dumb plan." Emma glanced at the calendar. "You had therapy today?"

"Dr Hopper says I can never move on until I accept what I did and make amends. How do I even begin? Never mind the people in Storybrooke, what about everyone I killed? I'm a murderer, Emma. I turned out just like her."

"Your mom?" Emma questioned, tentatively.

"How do I come back from that? How can I be Henry's mother when I'm a monster?" Regina' voice was small and desperate.

Fortunately, Emma had been seeing Dr Hopper too, and was able to suppress the urge to run screaming. She took a few paces forward so she was standing close to Regina without touching her.

"I've been thinking about forgiveness a lot, Regina. I asked Mary- Snow about you, about what you were like back there. She had a lot to say."

Regina laughed bitterly. "I bet."

"Yeah, she told me all about the evil queen. But she also told me about what you were like before. How kind and caring and funny you were, how you willingly spent time with a little girl even though you were being forced to marry her father. You weren't always bad, Regina. I don't think you can go back to being that girl, but you can become someone new."

"I killed Graham." The admission, blunt and cold, sent Emma reeling. She'd long suspected, but never imagined Regina would admit it.

"Here. In Storybrooke. I crushed his heart to dust and he died in your arms. Tell me I'm worth redemption now."

Emma was struck dumb. She took a few deep breaths and tried to clear her head.

"Regina, I'm probably never going to forgive you for that. Just like you're probably never going to forgive yourself. I'm also probably never going to forgive my parents for dumping me in the foster system, but I'm still going to try and build a relationship with them. Redemption isn't a switch you flick, Regina, it's a process. It's something you earn. And you've raised Henry to be good, even if he does try and duck out of his homework. He loves you. He chose to come home to you. He believes you can be better, and so do I. Otherwise I'd have shoved you over the town line by now."

"That wouldn't work. I never forgot who I was." Regina sounded more exasperated than anything else, which Emma took as a good sign.

"I'd still try." Emma gave Regina a small smile. Regina didn't smile back but she did start to relax.

"I told Dr Hopper I won't apologise for what I did."

"Regina, I don't think you could apologise for what you did. What you can do is be better. That will mean more to people than words."

Regina sniffed harshly, and for the first time Emma noticed the glisten of tears in her eyes. She marvelled at Regina's self control.

"How about we both take Henry to the movies tomorrow? You can get the popcorn and I'll scold him for talking."

Regina managed a smile. "Okay."

A few more weeks passed, and the residents of Storybrooke grew used to seeing Emma and Regina together with their son, bickering over grocery lists or forcing Henry to submit to clothes shopping when he tore his jeans or occasionally simply having a quiet family meal together at Granny's when neither of them felt like cooking. Regina took on most of the work she had done as mayor without asking for the title back, and did not once used magic of any kind. She smiled more, too, not the false, if beautiful smile she had used previously, but a small, shy grin, usually directed at her son, but more recently at Emma too. Snow and Charming had agreed to let bygones be bygones, largely for Emma and Henry's sake, and agreed to let Regina help in the search for a way back to the Enchanted Forest for those that wanted to go. Regina was still viewed with suspicion by the majority of the town, but the active dislike had died down, or at least been hidden in public, since Emma and her parents had taken Regina into their family. Despite 28 years in Storybrooke, most residents still saw them as the Royal Family and were willing to go along with their wishes.

"Hey Mom?" Henry asked one day when Regina and Charming were discussing portals.

"Yes, Henry?" Regina responded.

"Will we go to the Enchanted Forest?"

"I don't know, Henry. If we find a way through, we'll discuss it as a family. Why?"

"Well, you're the queen there, right? Which makes me the prince, right? But if you're Prince Charming, gramps, doesn't that make me the prince's grandson as well as the queen's son? What the heck are people gonna call me?"

Charming laughed out loud at the consternated look on Regina's face.

"Good point, kid. Technically, your mom is your other mom's step-grandmother. You're your own uncle!"

"Henry, let's…let's just figure that out later, okay sweetie?" Regina said, thoroughly flustered.

Henry smiled widely. "Sure, Your Majesty. I mean Mom!" he swiftly corrected, seeing the displeasure on his mother's face.

Regina opened her mouth to lecture Henry on inappropriate remarks, when Emma came sprinting into the room.

"Fairy dust! They struck fairy dust!"

The nuns - fairies - were gathered outside the mine entrance and a steady flow of other residents were arriving. The dwarves were still down in the mine, gathering enough of the precious dust to be of use. A tiny seam had been found, and they were hopeful to find more.

Emma and her parents pushed through the crowd, Regina slipping behind in her effort not to be noticed by the increasingly agitated residents. Emotions were running high and she had no desire to draw attention. Besides, the discovery of the dust had made her very aware of the power held within herself. At this point, she believed Henry and Emma would trust her to use it again, but she was unwilling to risk it. Magic was unpredictable here, and there was a very real danger to her family should it go wrong. She suppressed the shiver of power that set the hair rising on the back of her neck, and surreptitiously tried to gain a good vantage point.

Grumpy was first out, carrying a small cloth twisted into a bag. He handed it to the Blue Fairy reverently, and she laid it open to reveal a pile of dust no bigger than a marble.

"Is it enough?" Emma questioned, loosening her tight grip on Henry's shoulder to peer at it.

"No, but it's a start. Let's test it." The fairy blew the dust toward the trees. A small portion of the air began to shimmer and glow. A heavily distorted but clearly visible castle swam into view, it's tall spikes thrusting brokenly into the sky. Regina gasped, and a low, excited murmur started up. The window flickered and died, and immediately the fairies gathered together, talking amongst themselves about the effect of the dust. Eventually, Blue turned to the dwarves.

"It's a good start. If you can find a slightly coarser vein, it might work better." The dwarves nodded and turned back to the mine. People began to wander away, talking excitedly, when the air rippled once more and several tiny figures zipped through. The portal flashed intensely, dazzling Regina, and as she waited for her vision to clear, Emma's voice rang out, the panic in it causing her blood to run cold.

"Henry? Henry! Mom, do you have Henry? HENRY!"

She shoved forward to where Emma and her parents were frantically searching the immediate surroundings.

"Snow! Did you see-?" She shouted.

Snow wheeled to face her. "I thought it was, but they're extinct! They were killed off!"

"Cora kept a breeding pair. I thought I had disposed of them all, but-"

"Regina! Emma yelled, "What took Henry?"

Regina's answer caused a horrified moan to erupt from the crowd: "Pixies."

They drove recklessly back to the mansion.

"Fill me in, Regina," Emma demanded as they arrived.

Regina's voice was flat. "Pixies are bad. They're tiny, and beautiful, and if they like you you'll be happy for the rest of your life. That's because they'll kidnap you, take you back to their nest and pump you with enough venom that you'll be comatose forever. They feed off the secretions produced by an animal they've poisoned, and to keep the food fresh, they keep their victims, in essence, drugged up to the eyeballs until they die. If they don't like you, they'll simply tear you apart one tiny piece at a time. My mother's father led a 30 year campaign to stamp them out. My mother kept a pair, 'just in case'. After she died I destroyed the nest. I thought they were gone."

"And they took Henry?"

"It would seem so."

Emma went to the gun safe hidden in the dining room.

"That won't work." Regina's voice trembled.

"Then what will?" Emma demanded harshly.

Regina was silent, but Emma had come to know her well since moving in, and could see the telltale signs of fear.

"Regina! What kills these things?"

From the open front door came Snow's voice.

"Magic. Magic, and lots of it."

Emma locked eyes with her mother for barely a moment before turning back to Regina.

"Do it."

"No! Emma, I can't! Even if I could control it, magic comes with a price! That much power…I don't know that I could resist it again."

"Regina. Henry needs us. Do it."

Regina wavered for a moment, then settled into a resolved, regal posture.

"Get your guns."

They met at the town hall. Emma spoke quickly to the crowd that had gathered, telling them to stay inside if not directly involved in the search. Snow and Charming gave specific instructions for precautions to take, while Ruby handed out weaponry to those who were going to be involved. Charming had his sword and a small shield, combined with a Glock pistol strapped to his thigh. Snow's quiver was slung over one shoulder, her bow rested against the wall behind her and she sported a kevlar vest that had been too small to fit anyone else. Ruby carried a shotgun and had a taser tucked into her pocket. Emma too wore a vest and sidearm and had a large net at her feet. Mulan and Aurora had been deputized to stay and protect the town. Mulan had donned her armour eagerly, and a small amount of coaxing had persuaded Aurora to wear the third and final vest. Final instructions were issued and the assembled crowd began to disperse to secure their homes.

A light breeze kicked up and Emma felt the hair on her arms stand up as a static sensation crept over her. The door to the town hall opened and Regina stepped out. Although she wore one of her suits, there was no mistaking her for a small town mayor. Power crackled in the air as she stepped regally down to where Emma stood, and looked her in the eye. Regina's eyes, normally a warm, deep brown, had a purple tinge to them and Emma felt a strange pulling in her chest and stomach. Unconsciously she took a step toward Regina and laid a hand on her arm, and gasped as she was filled with a tingling heat. Regina smiled in a way that had the remaining residents draw back in fear and recognition. When she spoke, it was in the voice of command.

"Let's go get our son."

They marched through the woods, Snow and Red scouting ahead while Charming brought up the rear. Emma had released her grip on Regina's arm only to have the queen grab her hand.

"Don't let go," she said. "For some reason you help stabilise the magic. I'm going need your help." Emma laced her fingers through Regina's, feeling the heat spread through her again.

"That's what magic feels like?" She asked. Regina smiled again.

"Sometimes," she responded enigmatically, and refused to say more.

After an hour they stopped to regroup.

"No sign," said Red, "No scent either."

Regina thought for a moment. "They took the smallest and weakest prey they could, that means they're not at fighting strength. They'll try to build a nest, which means they'll keep Henry alive for food. Assuming he was poisoned within half an hour of being taken, we have about 4 hours left before he dies, and about 3 before there's permanent brain damage. We need to find them, quickly."

"Do pixies prefer a certain place to build nests? Do they need sunlight, or water or what?" Emma asked.

"They prefer woodland, which is why we've been looking here, but there's too much ground to cover. We need to narrow it down."

"What about the caves on the north hill? They lead into the mine, couldn't the pixies have taken Henry through?"

"It's worth a try."

Snow and Red went ahead, as before, and stealthily scouted the cave entrance. On the ground a little way inside was a small white sneaker. Grim-faced, they returned to the main group.

"His shoe is visible from the entrance," Snow reported, "no other sign and it's too dark to see further in."

"Let's go," Emma and Regina said in unison.

Regina was in turmoil. Her fear for her son combined with the power welling up inside her was turning into a familiar rage. Only Emma's firm grip was keeping her calm. They arrived at the cave-mouth and silently prepared the net. The idea was for Snow and Red to catch all the pixies while they were nest-building. Emma and Regina would go for Henry, and Charming would guard the exit to prevent any stragglers escaping.

The group entered silently, edging into the dark cave and pausing to let their eyes adjust. They crept forward until the rounded a slight bend and found Henry. He was suspended over the nest, a beehive-like ovoid lump on the ground glowing like a heart as the pixies moved inside it, and jutting from his throat were two large barbs with pulsating sacs at the ends. Regina squeezed Emma's hand tightly and motioned the others forward. Red and Snow gently settled the net over the nest and placed several large stones around the edges to hold it down.

"Is that gonna hold them?" Emma breathed into Regina's ear. Regina shook her head and stretched out her free hand. The net glowed brightly and the nest below burst in flames. There were agonised shrieking noises and a single pixie burst from the top, bit through the net and tried to take flight. Regina gestured and a white tongue of flame shot out and wrapped around the screaming creature like a lasso, dragging back in to the inferno. The sounds died down and after a few seconds of staring intently into the flames, Regina clenched her fist and the fire died out.

"That will," Regina said. She and Emma raced toward Henry, some part of Emma registering that the ashes of the nest were cold already, and gently lifted him down. Emma tugged the barbs from his neck as Regina laid a hand on his chest. Purple tendrils spread over Henry's body, curling over his heart and wrapping around Emma's wrist as she carded her fingers through his hair. Finally Regina looked up and smiled.

"He's okay."

The happiness was short-lived however, as an outraged screech came from the cave mouth. Charming backed into view, desperately trying to fend off the pixie attacking him. Where the others had been no taller than a hand, this one was a full arm's length, big enough that the vicious claws and teeth were clearly visible. Red began firing her shotgun while Snow loosed an arrow that glanced off the enraged creature, but drew its attention. Seeing the destruction wrought on its nest, the pixie queen abandoned Charming and flew straight for Henry. The skin on it's underarms folded back to reveal the tips of yet more poison barbs, and as Emma flung her body across Henry's, Regina threw a blast of magic at the oncoming monster, which vanished with a final scream of rage. Emma picked Henry up and cradled him, turning to the rest of the group.

"That's it? Wasn't too tough."

"You weren't touching me, Emma. I didn't kill it. I have no idea where it is." Regina's voice shook with anger. She turned to face Emma. "I told you to stay in contact!"

"I'm sorry, Regina!" Emma said, feeling the same tingling of power emanating from the woman before her, only this time accompanied by an icy chill. Regina reached out and Emma couldn't help but flinch, however Regina simply laid a hand on Henry's brow.

"He needs to get to the hospital." She turned to where Snow and Ruby were tending to Charming's badly-gashed arms. "Snow, take him. You two, escort her. Tell Whale he'll need fluids and sleep, and he's to be kept in restraints in case he wakes." To Emma's horror, they simply nodded, and Snow reached to take Henry from her.

"Restraints?" She demanded, pivoting away and cradling Henry closer. "Regina, what the fu-"

"He was poisoned by a queen, Emma. Until it's dead, he's under its control."

Regina turned and swept out. Snow gently took Henry from her, and used the moment to speak quietly.

"Regina's slipping. The power is taking over. You need to help her remember."

"Mom, I…"

"Emma. She's the only one that can save Henry. You're the only one that can save her. Go."

Emma stumbled after Regina, who held out an imperious hand. As she took it, she saw the worry and fear on her parents' faces before they vanished in a haze of purple smoke.

Emma stumbled away from Regina as they reappeared on Main Street. A few doors down, Mr Gold was locking up his shop. Emma suddenly noticed that during the trip, Regina outfit had changed from the demure suit to, well, she was pretty sure the Disney version never had cleavage like that.

"Rumpelstiltskin!" Regina called, "Storybrooke has a pest problem."

"I'd noticed, dearie," Gold replied. "It seems you're up to the challenge. Throwing away all those weeks of work for a few pixies? What will your boy say?" He chuckled briefly and turned to walk away.

Regina drew herself up into an even more regal posture. "There's a queen loose."

Gold paused briefly, then said over his shoulder in an airy tone,

"Well then, give her back her prize and there's nothing to fear. Good luck!" He walked off.

"Regina. Regina!" Emma said, forcing the Queen's attention back to her. "What's so different about the queen? You burned those other ones pretty good."

"Killing it now will kill Henry," Regina stated flatly. "We have to get it to release him."

"How?" Emma's head was swimming, but much like her little side trip to her apparent homeland, she was just going to roll with it.

"Force her to release her claim. Unfortunately with the nest already destroyed we have no leverage."

Emma drew her sidearm. "How's this for leverage?"

"That won't work."

"Why not? I know guns are a bad idea in the Forest, but it also kinda seems like magic is a bad idea here too. Maybe we have the upper hand in this world."

Regina cocked her head as she considered that.

"Maybe…I have an idea."

Regina explained as they walked back to city hall. The plan was risky, but it was also their only option.

"I thought names only mattered to Rumpelstiltskin?" Emma asked.

"Names matter everywhere, Miss Swan," Regina sneered.

"Emma. You call me Emma now, Regina. Don't let the magic take over." She grabbed Regina's arm and hauled her to a stop.

"Don't bail on me, Regina. We're doing this for Henry, not for the fun of it. You with me?"

After a long moment the purple sheen over Regina's eyes seemed to dim, and Emma felt the chill within her thaw into warmth once more.

"Can't stop being the Saviour for one moment, can you?" Regina asked, but there was affection in her tone. "Let's go save our people, Saviour."

Emma searched Regina's face a moment and apparently what she saw satisfied her, because she let her hand drop and turned to set off again. They walked quickly, Emma having refused to 'take another ride on the purple smoke train' and soon arrived outside the hospital. Snow was inside, chaining the doors shut while Red drew the blinds. Behind her Henry lay, still unconscious and looking so tiny in the padded restraints. Charming, his arms bandaged, sat beside him. Emma and Regina took in the sight for a long moment before Red drew the final blind. They took up position facing onto the street, Emma slouching against a wall, absently fidgeting with her holster, while Regina appeared to be staring down the storefront across the street. A few minutes passed, then in the distance came an angry buzzing. Emma stepped up next to Regina. The pixie rounded the corner, saw them and shrieked. It sped toward them, the low buzz of its wings an ear-grating counterpoint to its constant screams of rage.

Emma raised her gun and took aim. Regina stood behind the sheriff, hands resting on her shoulders. The same purple tendrils that had caressed Henry wrapped themselves around Emma, looping around her arms and chest, enveloping the gun she held. As if on cue, Henry's mothers shouted toward the advancing beast.

"Henry Daniel Mills is ours! Storybrooke is ours!"

Emma fired. The bullet punched through the magic surrounding it and left a horizontal streak in the air. It struck the pixie, which was thrown backward to the ground. It sprung up again almost immediately, the gaping hole in its torso apparently no impediment, and screamed at the women in a hissing, rattling, barely intelligible voice.

"Hhhhenryyyy Daaaanieeeel Millsssss issss miiiiine!"

"Henry Daniel Mills is our son!" Regina screamed. "You can't have him!" Emma fired again. This time the bullet took a large chunk of purple with it, and when it smashed through the pixie's arm, Regina's magic began to weave itself in and out of the two holes Emma's gun had made. As it had with Henry and Emma, tendrils snaked over it, but this time they reached into the creatures nose and mouth, cutting off its enraged screams. It began to thrash as more and more of Regina's magic filled its body. Stonefaced, Emma shouted Henry's name and fired a third time. The pixie's head exploded in a shower of gore, and its body went limp. The magic held it in place for a second before dissipating and the pixie's remains hit the ground with a wet slap.

There was a moment of absolute stillness. Then the Queen began to laugh.

Emma turned, still enveloped in the purple cloud of the Queen's magic.

"Regina? Regina!" The Queen's laughter died away and she fixed Emma with a gorgeous, terrifying smile.

"Yes, Miss Swan?" she enquired lazily as her magic caressed the sheriff.

"Regina, snap out of it! Did it work? Is Henry okay?"

"Oh, he's fine. Do you have any idea how much power it would have taken to kill that thing back home? But here? I just have to hold your hand and poof! One little hole from that lovely gun of yours and I can turn it inside out." The Queen's smile turned seductive.

"Imagine what else we could do, Miss Swan."

Emma pulled away, staring in horror. She backed away until her heel hit the hospital door and pounded on it as hard as she could.

"Mom? Dad?" She yelled, "Is Henry okay?"

To her absolute relief she heard Henry's voice in return.

"I'm fine, Emma. Are you okay?"

The Queen didn't even react to the sound of Henry's voice. Emma thought hard for a second, then closed her eyes briefly and prayed she was right.

"Henry, your mom's in trouble. Get out here!"

"Excellent idea, Miss Swan," the Queen purred, and with a wave of her hand the doors of the hospital dissolved, causing Emma to stumble backward. Henry rushed forward and took her hand while Snow and Charming, seeing the Queen, drew weapons and advanced.

"No, stay back!" Emma yelled. "She's fighting it!"

"Emma, look at her, she's not fighting anything!" her father yelled.

Emma looked at the Queen, tried to really see her like she could see lies.

"Regina," she entreated, voice soft, "this isn't what you want to be."

"It isn't Miss Swan?" The Queen smiled again and Emma and Henry were wrapped in purple smoke as all three of them vanished.

They re-appeared in the mansion. Henry clung to Emma's waist, terrified. He had known his mother was the Evil Queen, but he'd never truly seen her in action until now. Emma spread a comforting hand across his back and looked the Queen in the eye.

"Regina. You're scaring your son. You're scaring me."

"There's nothing to be frightened of, Henry," the Queen cooed. "You'll never have to be frightened again, I promise."

Henry sobbed and buried his face in Emma's stomach.

"What about you Regina? Are you frightened?" Emma demanded, "Because you're about to lose your family."

The Queen's smile dropped slightly. "What are you talking about? As long as we're together, there's nothing that can destroy us!"

"You're destroying us, Regina!" Emma shouted. "Look at yourself!"

Regina glanced in the mirror and froze.

"Look at us, Regina," Emma spoke softly now. The Queen locked eyes with Emma as Henry peeked at his mother.

"We're your family. We love you, Regina Mills. Not the Queen. Not the magic. Just you. You have to choose what you want more, Regina, because if you choose the magic I'm taking Henry and you'll have to kill me to get him back. Please, come back to us, Regina."

"M-mom?" Henry quavered. Regina's gaze dropped to his tear-stained face and the two ugly welts on his neck. She fell to her knees and the aura of power around her seemed to diminish.

"Henry…my baby boy… I'm so sorry." She began to cry. "How could I…I swore I wouldn't…"

Emma knelt and wrapped both Henry and Regina in her arms as they sobbed. When they had calmed down somewhat, Emma went to the kitchen and drew Henry a glass of water. She turned from the sink and found Henry had followed her in, and in refusing to let go of Regina's hand, had brought her too. He drained his glass and snuggled back into Emma's hold, pulling Regina's arm across him so he was tightly ensconced in his mothers' presence. Emma smiled at Regina, and received a shaky smile in reply.

"Dr Hopper is an idiot." She stated flatly. "He spent how many years living in your kingdom? Magic is a part of you. I've figured that out in a day. You can't stop the magic, Regina, you have to channel it. Control it. Or it controls you. I've felt it every time we've touched today; that pull, the power behind it."

"It was when you let go," Regina murmured, her voice coloured with astonishment. "When we were touching I was in control. When we were apart the magic took over."

"Yeah, noticed that," Emma drawled.

"I can't…Emma, Henry, I swear I'll never-"

"Don't." Emma cut her off. "Weren't you listening? Magic isn't a drug, Regina. Going cold turkey isn't going to help. You just need to learn control. We'll help, won't we Henry?"

Henry didn't answer, but burrowed further into his mothers' embrace. Regina pressed a kiss to his head and tentatively brushed a hand across his throat. The wounds left by the pixie queen healed, and she glanced up at Emma questioningly.

"See? You can use it for good. You were never just in this for Henry. 'Storybrooke is ours', remember? You were protecting everyone." She smiled sardonically. "The Queen protected her subjects."

"But I lost control, Emma!"

"And until we're certain that won't happen again, you won't use magic without me."

"But-"

"Regina, don't argue."

"I…okay." Apparently too tired to argue, Regina let herself lean on Emma's shoulder, and pretended she didn't notice when Emma wrapped her in another tender embrace.

Emma called her parents while Regina and Henry took a nap. Henry had refused to sleep unless he could stay with Regina, and Emma had agreed, mostly relieved that Henry's ordeal had made him cling to his mother rather than reject her. It took some persuading on her part to convince Snow that Regina's lapse was due to the unpredictable nature of magic in Storybrooke rather than a return to form, and she had to resort to invoking Henry's name to stop them telling the rest of the town. In the end, Red had persuaded her friends to trust their daughter. Next, Emma called the Sheriff's office. The phone rang for a while before Mulan's voice greeted her with suspicion and hostility. At first she thought that word was already spreading before it occurred to her that Mulan had probably never used a phone before. Emma reassured her that the danger had passed and left her in charge.

"I'm taking a week off, Mulan. Regina and Henry are too. This was rough on us."

"I understand, Emma. Aurora and I will keep order."

Emma chuckled. "Great. Oh, there's an exploded pixie queen in the middle of Main Street. I have no idea how to handle that. Good luck!"

Next she called Dr Hopper and reached his voicemail. After a few choice words about idiotic decisions, she informed him that she would require his help teaching Regina to control her power rather than suppress it, and he should refer to any knowledgeable source that wasn't in any way, shape or form even remotely connected to Mr Gold.

Emma turned her and Regina's phones off, and unplugged the house line. She suddenly felt exhausted as the day's adrenaline finally wore off. She traipsed wearily up the stairs and stumbled into the master bedroom. Regina and Henry were sound asleep, facing away from Emma. Regina's whole body seemed to be wrapped protectively around her son's. Emma kicked off her shoes and flopped ungracefully onto the mattress. Too tired to wrestle the blankets from under her family, Emma snuggled into Regina's warm body and flung an arm across her. Regina's hand entwined with hers and they came to rest over their little boy's strong heartbeat.

When Regina woke, hours later, she and Henry had switched places somehow, so that he was once again safely tucked between his parents. Nervously, she met Emma's eyes and found no recrimination in her steady gaze.

Regina smiled.

"I love you," she said.

"Love you too, Mom," Henry replied sleepily.

Emma smiled back at Regina, and nodded.


End file.
